


do you feel damaged (just like I do)

by jojo_saltzman



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Hosie, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:46:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26645461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojo_saltzman/pseuds/jojo_saltzman
Summary: Hope snips around to see a timid looking Josie, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. She’s wearing the Salvatore emblemed rehearsal clothes Hope saw her in earlier. The déjà vu of her standing there, coming to get her father to comfort Lizzie in the beginning of the year is strong enough to make Hope suck in a deep breath as she feels the magic disperse.orInstead of Lizzie, Josie goes after Hope.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 4
Kudos: 155





	do you feel damaged (just like I do)

**Author's Note:**

> It's something.

He had no right.

He had no right to speak on something he wasn’t even there for.

It took years for her to stop blaming herself for what happened (although, the guilt still lingers) and even longer to look at Roman without remembering the last time she saw her mother.

It still hurt.

But she couldn’t change the past. So, she tried to move on. She forgave Roman because there was nothing left to do. She couldn’t live with the resentment, she just couldn’t.

But Landon thought just because he was jealous, he had the right to compare their actions.

To bring up the painful reminder how her life turned out, losing both of her parents in the same year. Hope told him all of that because she trusted him. Because she wanted to open up to him, to feel closer to him but now, she realized she made a mistake.

The anger steadily built up with every word he murmured while they danced.

The _accusation_ that it was easier for her to forgive Roman for killing her mother than forgiving him for stealing a stupid knife hurt her more than she wanted to show and suddenly he was too close. The walls began to shake along with the chandelier and Hope needed to leave before she would something she would regret later. Lizzie pulled her away just in time before it was too late and Hope turned on her heels and ran out the door.

_“I can’t believe you were so nice to him. After everything you told me he did to your family you can act like nothing happened?”_

She tries to focus on inhaling the salty air by the lake but the words are still too loud.

_“Your Mother is still dead. How is any of that exonerates him?”_

She feels the power burn her fingertips, fighting her to let it out and watch what happens.

_“I’ve suffered through how much torture because I stole a knife! And this guy has a hand in the death of your –“_

“Oh.”

Hope snips around to see a timid looking Josie, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. She’s wearing the Salvatore emblemed rehearsal clothes Hope saw her in earlier. The déjà vu of her standing there, coming to get her father to comfort Lizzie in the beginning of the year is strong enough to make Hope suck in a deep breath as she feels the magic disperse.

“I didn’t know anybody would be here. I – I’m sorry.” Josie apologies quickly, her eyes flickering between Hope and the lake before she turns to walk away.

“Josie!” Hope calls out before she can take a step. “You don’t have to go. It’s okay.” The tribrid lets the corner of her lips turn up slightly in a vague attempt of a smile as Josie’s eyes bore into hers. “I just needed some air.”

Josie hesitates for a moment before she walks closer until she reaches the dock and matches Hope’s smile. “Yeah, I could use some of that as well.” 

Hope forces herself to face the lake, her feet carrying her to the edge where she sits down and lets the comfortable silence stretch on. Everything is so peaceful around them, the gentle sounds of the forest helping her slow down her heartbeat. She can’t let herself lose control. The last time she did, it didn’t turn out well.

“Did Landon do something?” Josie breaks the silence with a gentle smile as she comes to sit beside Hope.

Hope bites her bottom lip, looking at the water, “Doesn’t he always?”

She tries with everything she has for the words to come out as playful and teasing but when Josie’s brows frown, she knows she failed. Her sadness sweeps through no matter how hard she tries to hide it.

Josie hesitates before uttering the words, “Then why are you still with him?”

That’s the question, isn’t it?

The one that’s been circling around her brain, trying to find the right answer but coming up short every time.

Landon confuses her, she decides. One minute he’s everything she needs, the next it feels like she doesn’t know him at all. The back and forth, the uncertainty slowly driving her crazy to the point of such anger she hadn’t felt since she was younger. And she doesn’t want to revisit those years.

Mistaking her silence for anger, Josie quickly begins to apologize, “I’m sorry, it’s none of my bus –“

“No, it’s okay,” Hope cuts her off with a small smile, “I – I just, I’ve been wondering about that for a while now.”

“Oh”

Josie nods slowly and turns her head down to her lap.

“I don’t know,” Hope sighs, “He’s the easy choice, I guess. He already knows my baggage and he _stayed_ despite all of them,” Hope looks down, “I don’t know if there’s another choice.”

The air is heavy around them and Josie hear it in her voice that Hope doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, so Josie looks out into the water and changes the subject.

“I was – I _am_ so mad at Lizzie for choosing you to be her replacement.”

Light blue orbs snap to side of Josie’s head and Hope doesn’t dare utter a word. She didn’t know this.

“I know it’s silly,” Josie smiles sadly, her fingers brushing over the knuckles, “But I was jealous. I want to win but she gifted her entire plan to you,” Her voice softened, “She doesn’t think I could win.”

Hope opens her mouth to argue but she realizes she can’t defend Lizzie’s actions. When the blonde siphoner withdrawn from the competition there was no doubt in Hope’s mind that the automatic runner-up would be Josie. Nobody was more surprised than Hope when Lizzie turned to her.

Not knowing what to say, Hope reaches across the distance and covers Josie’s fingers with her palm. Chocolate brown eyes locks onto her own warily.

Hope pauses momentarily, letting Josie draw as much comfort from her touch as she needs. Hope would willingly give it to her all.

“What happened back there?” She asks quietly, her thumb unwittingly moving to take over brushing over Josie’s knuckles.

Something shifts between Josie’s eyes that Hope wouldn’t have noticed if she was paying attention. But she is. Somehow Josie became her focal point, everything else tunning out around her.

It takes a moment before Josie seems to shake herself back to the present and her expression falls.

“It’s Penelope,” Josie curls her lips faintly, “She somehow wormed her way into being my partner. She doesn’t like it that I’m helping Lizzie.”

A strange kind of protectiveness over Josie flair up inside Hope that honestly surprises her. “Lizzie isn’t an easy person,” Hope tilts her head, “Neither of them really.”

Her tone isn’t malicious but laced with fondness and Josie can’t help but chuckle, “They’re definitely something.”

Hope joins in the laughter that comes to a natural end after a few moments but it’s enough to lift the weight of their conversation off their shoulders. They let the forest speak instead of them, their hands still intertwined in Josie’s lap but neither of them moves to break the connection.

“I should probably head back,” Josie says reluctantly, “Lizzie must be wondering where I am.”

Her eyes shine with sorrow when she pulls her hand away and stands up.

Hope looks up at her and smiles, “I’m gonna stay here a little bit. Don’t want to blow up the whole school because of my bad mood.”

Josie bits her bottom lip and nods slowly before starting to walk away back to the school. She just steps off the deck before Hope’s voice stops her in her track.

“I believe you can win.”

Josie’s eyes lids flatters shut before she opens them and turns around to look at the girl.

“There’s another choice.”

With those final words, Josie heads back to rehearsal.


End file.
